Hypotheticals and Not So Hypotheticals
by Pineapple Moon
Summary: Jess and Oliver are just friends. Dean and Lane and Luke don't know what their talking about. Or do they? Part eight. Sequel to The Life and Times of Jess Mariano.
1. Chapter 1

Jess digs into his lunch at school. Sensing something is off, he glances up to find Dean and Lane both grinning at him. "What? Did you do something to my pizza that I'm not aware of?"

The two look a little too innocent as they share a look. "Oh, we were just wondering how your weekend went." Lane speaks for them.

"Yeah. Anything interesting happen?" Dean adds.

"It was fine." He answers cautiously. "Some business man passing through left a pretty good tip. I'm not lending either of you money, if that's what you're getting at."

"So there's nothing you want to share with us? Maybe dating wise?" Lane pries further.

Jess shakes his head. "No, not while I still live in this town. All the girls my age just want me to be their 'gay best friend' thanks to Miss Patty keeping that rumor alive."

"You really aren't gonna tell us? I thought we were your friends."

"Tell you what?" Jess is starting to get fed up. "Would you quit beating around the bush and just come out with it already."

"We know you were on a date with Oliver on saturday." Dean blurts out, causing Lane to elbow him in the ribs. "Ow! What was that for?"

"We agreed to easy into it." Lane reminds him in hushed tones as if Jess can't hear her across the table.

"Whoa, slow down, Jackie Gleason. Oliver and I were not on a date. What makes you think that?"

"The secluded lunch on the bridge for one." Dean points out.

"And you two looked pretty cozy at the town meeting." Lane jumps in.

"Wha- that- It wasn't a date." Jess settles on. "We were just hanging out. Now can we drop this?"

"Fine, have it your way."

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"So if it wasn't a date then why do you spend hours every night talking to him on the phone?" Lane says in home economics before Jess even has a chance to sit down.

Jess tosses his bag down and slumps into his seat. "What happened to dropping this?"

"Why are you avoiding answering my question?"

"How do you even know that? Do you have me on twenty-four hour surveillance or something?" He asks instead.

"Rory told me."

"And how did Rory know?"

"Luke told her and Lorelai. Now, no more invasiveness, mister, and answer my original question."

Jess rolls his eyes. "Sheesh, does Bush know about you? Because you'd make a great interrogator. We talk on the phone, so what? I talk to you, Dean, and Rory on the phone too. Doesn't mean I wanna date any of you."

"Please, I am so out of your league."

Jess clicks his tongue. "Oh, that's right. The only guys in your league are musicians named Dave that have a thing for sound equipment."

"How- Rory." Lane answers her own question.

"Like I said, I talk to Rory on the phone too."

"So…" Jess glances over at her serious shift in tone. "Does this mean you're really over Rory?"

Jess traces an old drawing on the desk with his finger as he shrugs. "I guess. I mean, between the unspoken thing Luke and Lorelai have, and people mistaking Rory and I for siblings more and more every time we're out, it just got weird."

"I'm sorry."

Jess shrugs again. "If it's not meant been to be, then it's not, best I find this out now before I get in too deep. There are plenty of people out there anyway."

"Like Oliver." Lane teases

"You know what? I'm staying in this class for you. I can still transfer out at any time." He threatens.

"You're not going anywhere." Lane says confidently. "The only other options for you are woodshop and computer science. Here, you get to mock the class with me, you can't do that in either of the other classes."

"I am not telling Rory anything anymore." Jess mutters under his breath, accepting defeat.

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Oliver becomes a familiar face fairly quickly around Stars Hollow. He blended in with the rest of Jess' friends seamlessly, able to trash talk movies with the best of them. Their group of five grew to six after the addition of Dave from Lane's new band. It all happened so fast, one day Jess woke up and realized he barely recognizes himself anymore. He's not the broody loner who hides in the library all lunch, but instead has a group of four he eats lunch with in the cafeteria and then a group of six after school when Rory and Oliver meet up with them. He, Jess Mariano, has a clique.

And the even weirder part, he's entirely okay with it. Sure, he still likes his alone time, and he's rarely the center of a conversation, but he really enjoys just being with a group of people that make him feel relaxed. He doesn't need to put up walls or pretend around them, they just accept him exactly as he is.

A group he wishes he was with now. Instead, Luke decided today was going to be the day they clean out the storage unit. Outside. In the middle of october. That stupid little voice in his head that sounds suspiciously like Luke tells him he should have wore a heavier jacket than his leather one to fight the bitter fall wind, but in his defence it's his favorite one now. Luke had given it to him as a birthday present after all the not-so-subtle hints Jess had been giving him the weeks leading up to his birthday.

His birthday was perfect too. Luke was the only one that knew and didn't make any kind of fuss, just gave him the jacket in the morning with a gruff, "Happy birthday." and that was it. No big party or scene, exactly as he likes it.

Until Lorelai spilled the beans. A few days after his birthday, she had noticed the new jacket and commented on liking it (after the obligatory Danny Zuko jokes). She then made a weird face then ran out of the diner without another word. Jess didn't think twice about it at the moment, chalking it up to just Lorelai being Lorelai, but then a week later he had shown up at the Gilmore's to find her throwing a joint surprise party for both him and Rory. He had been irritated at first, but she later explained that she thought he would like it better if only part of the attention was on him and that if he gets too uncomfortable, that they could shift everyone's focus to Rory, whose birthday was only two weeks away. He'd never admit it out loud, but it was one of the best birthdays he's ever had.

He'd be hanging out with Rory now if she wasn't giving him the silent treatment over him lying to her about when his birthday was. He sighs for the third time in the last hour from his perch on an old table Luke has been keeping in storage.

"If you're so bored, why don't you, say, _help_ me clean this place out like I asked you to." Luke complains.

"Rory hasn't talked to me since the party." Jess says, not making any indication that he's going to be helping anytime soon.

"Yeah, well, that's what you get for being an idiot and lying to her about when your birthday was." Luke coughs as a cloud of dust kicks up into his face.

Jess groans. "I didn't _mean_ to lie to her. She had just assumed it was months earlier, and I didn't feel the need to correct her. How was I supposed to know she'd get so grumpy about it."

Luke stops what he's doing and turns to his nephew. "Oh, Jess, a lie of omission is still a lie. Of course she's going to be upset. Just, give her a little space, then apologize. Okay?"

"Fine."

Luke gives him a nod, then gets back to work moving boxes around. "So, things still good with everyone else?"

"Yup." Jess answers as he digs through one of the boxes sitting next to him on the table, curious about his uncle's sudden interest in his social life. "Why?"

"Just wondering. Oliver sure has been around a lot lately." He says it in an off-handed way that implies it's anything but. "Lot of sleepovers."

"There's nothing going on." Jess stresses for the hundredth time.

Luke holds up his hands in surrender. "Hey, I never said there was." He waits a beat. "I'm just saying, Dean never sleeps over."

Jess throws his head back. " _Dean_ only lives two minutes away. Hartford is forty minutes away on a good day. Now would you people leave me alone about it?"

"Fine."

"Thank you."

Jess turns his attention back to the box, thinking Luke finally dropped the topic for good.

"I just mean, hypothetically speaking," Luke starts up again a few minutes later.

"Ah, jeez, it never ends." Jess grumbles as he rolls his eyes.

"If you two, say, were to get together or decide to want to be more than friends-"

"We _are_ just friends."

"-If any of these hypotheticals were to become not-so-hypotheticals, I, uh, just want you to know I'm always here." Luke continues, ignoring Jess' interruption.

"You're _hypothetically_ getting on my nerves. If you talk about this anymore than _hypothetically_ I'm gonna show Lorelai the infamous _Star Trek_ t-shirt."

That gets Luke's attention. "What? No, I got rid of that years ago."

"Oh, yeah? Then how do you explain this?" Jess pulls a shirt out of the box he had been digging through and holds it up.

"Gimme that!"

Jess holds it behind his back. "No way! This musty old shirt is my insurance policy."

"Hand it over, Jess."

"I still can't believe you were a trekkie. Butch Danes, captain of the geek squad."

"Jess William Mariano, give me that shirt right now."

"Oooo," Jess laughs. "Full name, I'm trembling in fear now. What? Are you gonna threaten to take away my dessert next?"

Luke sighs. "Fine. You and Oliver are platonic, now and forever. Happy?"

"Having a gay old time." Jess says sarcastically as he tosses Luke the shirt, who scoffs. "Hey, gay used to mean happy. You'd know that if you cracked open a book every once in a while."

"Whatever you say, nephew."

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Things settle down for a while after Jess' talk with Luke at the storage unit. Jess followed Luke's advise and swallowed his pride, apologizing to Rory for not being truthful about his birthday. It worked like a charm and she dropped the whole silent treatment she had been giving him. Even all the gossip involving Oliver dies down after the arrival of a new neighbor. He's some middle-aged guy who just got out of a marriage who likes to call his house 'the oasis'. From what he's heard between Lorelai and Rory, it's like the tiki room threw up in there and he has a closet filled to the brim with board games. He's the definition of pathetic if you ask Jess. And unfortunately for the Gilmore's, they know this because they got roped into watering his plants and grass for him while he's away on business. Serves them right for being social.

Oliver had spent the night on a school night for once, so he offered to drive Rory to their school, saving her from having to take the bus. Jess and Oliver are waiting on Rory as she goes to water the lawn, chatting to kill time when she runs up to them soaking wet, begging for help to turn off the sprinkler while out of breath.

They all end up getting soaked in the process, but get the job done nonetheless. That is until Rory's pager goes off with a message from Dean that he's on the way.

Without a word, Jess turns the sprinkler back on to full blast despite Oliver's confused look. "We should get going before Dean shows up." Jess tells Rory, ignoring Oliver for the time being.

"Yeah, probably for the best. I'll meet you at the car after I change. If the ride is still an option, that is." Rory shifts uncomfortably.

"Of course." Jess answers for him. Jess then pulls him along before Oliver starts asking too many questions.

It isn't until they're halfway to the diner that Oliver collects his thoughts and pulls his arm away. "What the hell just happened? Why did you turn the sprinkler back on when Rory got that page from Dean?"

Jess sighs, put out. "It's a long story. One that I don't wanna tell while soaking wet. Now, c'mon, you can borrow some clothes." Jess waits with bated breath before Oliver nods.

With the light vibes from earlier gone, they silently head to the diner. When they walk in, their shoes squeak loudly on the tile floor, gaining the attention of the owner who does a double take at the state they're in. "I thought you two were off to school? What the hell happen, get in a fight with a fire hose on the way there?"

"Sprinkler." Jess answers, not stopping. Sensing his bad mood, Luke only nods, most likely wanting a full explanation later.

Upstairs in the apartment, Oliver hovers awkwardly as Jess heads straight to his dresser to grab some clothes. "It's a good thing you're about my size." He says as he tosses his friend a shirt and jeans. "You can just leave your uniform up to dry in the bathroom."

Oliver says a quiet thanks before heading into the bathroom, leaving Jess alone. Without wasting any time, he changes in record time and is toweling off his hair when Oliver returns.

"When I first moved here, Dean and I used to fight. A lot. Mostly over Rory." Jess admits softly. "I thought we were past all that, but apparently not. To be fair though, I really was an asshole. Like, grade-A asshole."

"I know." Oliver realizes how that sounds and back tracks. "I mean, on my first day here, when I went into Doose's to get that soda, he had seen me with you and gave me this long-winded warning about how you're only trouble and that if I knew what's best for me I would stop associating with the likes of you."

"And yet you stuck around."

"You don't have to sound so surprised. I told him I can make my own judgments. So far you haven't made me regret it yet."

Jess huffs. "Key word being yet. I may not be a full blown asshole anymore, but I still have my moments."

Oliver shrugs. "Everyone has their faults. I tend to talk too much and put my foot in my mouth, you haven't kicked me to the curb. So you used to like Rory? Past tense?" Oliver changes the subject.

"Yeah, things got complicated and I backed off."

"And Dean knows this?" Jess nods. "Then honestly, I don't think this dog and pony show you two put on was necessary. If you and Dean really buried the hatchet, and he trusts Rory, then he should understand you really are just friends with her. If he doesn't then that's on him."

Jess weighs that mentally. "Have you always been this smart?" He finally asks when he can't find any solid argument against him.

"Duh. You just haven't been paying attention." Jess snorts, leading Oliver out of the apartment with his hands on his shoulders.

"Alright, Einstein, Rory's probably waiting for you by now. And unless Chilton's eased up on their dress code to allow Metallica, you still need to stop home and change."

"But school doesn't start for another hour. Also, as a side note, shoving me down the stairs won't get me there any faster."

"Trust me, if you cause Rory to be late, being shoved down the stairs will be the least of your problems." Down in the diner they see Rory pacing across the street where Oliver is parked. Jess gives him a final pat on the back before giving him a small shove. "Have fun." An idea forms and Jess has Oliver wait a minute while he pours some coffee in a to-go cup.

"Oh, thanks, but I'm not really a coffee drinker."

"Good, because it's not for you. Word of advice, never approach an irritated Gilmore empty handed." Jess presents the cup of coffee to him with a flourish.

"Noted. See you after school?"

Jess leans on the counter. "I'll be here, making minimum wage as I serve people their food."

"I'm sure someone's drawing up plans for your monument as we speak." Oliver says sarcastically before leaving.

Luke comes up casually beside him and leans forward mirroring him. "Shut up." Jess makes sure to get the first word in.

Luke shrugs. "I didn't say anything. Thinking on the other hand…"

"Get a life. I'm heading to school, try taking up a hobby while I'm gone. Like sewing or meditation, anything that doesn't have to do with me." Jess makes to the door before Luke stops him.

"Hey, you have breakfast?"

"I'm not-" Luke tosses him an apple, which he nearly drops. He slumps his shoulders with a sigh. "Luke-"

"You don't need to eat the whole thing if you really aren't hungry. I would like you to, but-"

"Alright, fine!" Jess cuts him off, his embarrassment rising as he notices most of the customers are watching them now. He shoots Luke an annoyed look before leaving for school himself.

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It wasn't until Luke brought it up the other day at the storage unit that Jess realized just how much time Oliver really spends in Stars Hollow now, particularly at the apartment with Jess or downstairs in the diner keeping Jess company while he works. With work and after school sports keeping Dean busy now, and student government and the new band keeping Rory and Lane occupied respectively, most of the time it just ends up being Jess and Oliver.

Today ends up being a lazy day for the two of them upstairs. Well, lazy for Jess anyway. He got all his assignments done in class, so he's just resting on the couch while some old B movie plays in the background as he waits for Oliver to finish an article he's writing for the school paper.

"You know, I'd get this done a lot faster if you weren't reading over my shoulder the whole time. I get enough of that at school from Paris." He complains, eyes never leaving his laptop's screen.

"I can't believe you wore the Metallica shirt under your uniform the whole day." Jess says instead, picking at the shirt in question.

Oliver bats Jess' hand away. "I only had time to change my pants and by then your ever so loving sister slash not-sister started to honk the horn so I just had to slip on the school sweater over the top and oh, yeah, stop reading over my shoulder." He repeats, not letting Jess change the subject.

"I'm just so bored." Jess moans, sinking lower on the couch. "This is the number one mockable film ever and I have no one to mock it with. I am mockless." He sits up again and rests his arm behind the couch as he glances at Oliver's screen. "You slipped into passive voice again."

"That's it." Oliver shuts his laptop and sets it to the side. "There. I'll watch the stupid _E.T._ ripoff with you and finish this later."

Jess gasps. "Take that back. _Mac and Me_ is not just some stupid _E.T._ ripoff. It's a cinematic masterpiece."

Oliver scoffs. "Doesn't it have, like, a five minute dance sequence in the middle of a McDonald's for no reason?"

"It totally serves a purpose. Eric uses all the dancing as cover to escape the government guys trying to take Mac away. You just don't get it because only genius can recognize genius."

Oliver snorts. "Yes, that must be it."

They watch the movie for a bit until Jess notices Oliver staring at him. "What?"

He shakes his head with a grin. "Nothing. I'm just glad you decided call me back. I like hanging out with you, even though your taste in movies is crap."

Jess chuckles. "Wow, you really know how to make a guy feel special."

The next thing Jess knows, Oliver leans forward quickly and starts to kiss him. In shock, Jess freezes, not sure what to do. Oliver pulls away, face beet red. "I, um, thought… Guess I was wrong. Sorry, I made this weird. I'll just, uh, I'll go. I should go." Oliver gets up, gathering his things and stuffing them into his backpack as he avoids looking at Jess.

Jess snaps out of it. "No, I'm sorry. You don't need to go. You can stay, I want you to stay."

Oliver shakes his head as he shrugs his jacket on. "No, this article is due tomorrow and I really need to focus on it. I'm gonna head home."

"Wait." Jess jumps up. Oliver stops, staring down at his shoes. "We're still good right?"

"Yeah, of course."

"I'd feel a little more confident about that if you weren't saying it to the rug."

Oliver finally looks him in the eye and gives him a strained smile. "I promise, we are good. Now, I really do need to get this article finished. I'll bring your shirt back tomorrow as well-"

"You can keep it. It suits you."

"Thanks."

Jess nods, letting him leave. Once he's alone, he flops back onto the couch, trying to remember how to breathe. He's only just got his breathing under control when Luke comes in with a worried expression.

"Hey, what's going on? Oliver just left in a hurry. I thought he was staying the night again?"

Jess turns off the tv, not in the mood to watch the movie anymore. "He, uh, remembered he has a lot of work due tomorrow for school."

Luke nods slowly. "Alright. Hey, you feelin' okay? Your face is red." He comes over to feel his head with the back of his hand.

Jess bats him away, getting up off the couch and away from Luke. "I feel fine. Lorelai mentioned some extra shifts at the Inn this week, I'm gonna head over there and see if she has anything for me to do." He pulls on his leather jacket and zips it up.

Luke looks like he wants to talk more, but he only nods. "Yeah, okay. Just keep me updated."

"I will." Jess slips out of the apartment before Luke can say anything more.

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Jess is grateful for the forethought of keeping a change of work clothes at the inn, that way he doesn't have to turn around and face his uncle for a second time. He's pretty sure if Luke gave him one more of his piercing stares Jess would have spilled his guts right there and told him everything that happened. At this point, he has no idea what he could have said, mainly because he has no idea what he's thinking. He has a set of facts in front of him, but he can't make heads or tails of what any of it means.

Oliver kissed him. That's one thing he can say for sure. The thing that's bugging him though is that he completely froze. He didn't return the kiss, but he also didn't pull away. He just… froze.

God, he really hopes Lorelai has something for him to do. What he needs is get out of his head and let his mind focus on something else for a while.

And it works. He spent a solid four hours focusing on the guests and solving all their problems. For four straight hours his mind was blissfully distracted, until Lorelai sent him home. Technically, the correct term is kicked out. She was on her way out when she noticed him still at the front desk and had to physically push him out the door and order him to go home.

Feeling his breathing start to hitch again on the way back to the diner, Jess makes a detour to the Black, White, and Red movie theater where he knows they're playing some double feature. Right before going inside, he pulls out his phone and calls the apartment to leave a quick message to Luke to let his uncle know he won't be back until around eleven, knowing he'll get the machine since he can see Luke closing up still across the square. With that done, he turns his phone off and heads inside, hopefully to give him the distraction that he needs.

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It's completely dark by the time he creeps into the apartment, not wanting to wake Luke up. After the movies did their job of letting him mentally check out, he found a voicemail from Luke telling him he's turning in early for the night and that he left a spare key in the usual spot for him above the door jam. He's surprised how chill Luke was for once, not getting on his case about being out late, or even staying up to yell at him when he got home. Instead, only snores greeted him when he got back. Guess the whole letting Luke know where he is shtick does work.

Changing into a shirt and sweatpants to sleep in in the dark, while also trying to stay quiet proves to be harder than he thought, but by some miracle, by the time he crawls into bed he can still hear the soft snores coming from the other side of the room.

He closes his eyes and spends a solid ten minutes wishing he could just fall asleep, but his mind is buzzing still. For the first time in months, he has an urge to blast his music again just to shut up all the noise in his head. Instead, now that he's only surrounded by silence, he just keeps replaying what happened earlier with Oliver, and now that he's thinking about that again the question of why he didn't pull back keeps coming up and he really doesn't want to think about that and his breathing is hitching _again_ and it's too dark to read so he has nothing to distract himself with.

He squeezes his eyes shut, trying to will himself to sleep and to slow down his breathing, but the more he tries, the harder it is to breathe, like there's an elephant on his chest and it's only getting heavier and heavier. Without even realizing it, he starts to claw at his arms, trying to get some control over his body again. The more he can't breathe, the more he panics, and the more he panics, the more he can't breathe and now he's just stuck in this terrible cycle that won't end.

"Lu-" He tries to call out. "L-luke." He tries again, but it only comes out as a whisper. "Luke. Luke! Luke!" His heart feels like it's about to beat out of his chest. "L-luke! P-please!"

He faintly hears a lamp clicking on and a thump across the room over the roaring of his heartbeat in his ears. The next thing he knows, Luke is beside him and has a hand grasping his shoulder. "Jess, what's wrong?! Talk to me here, bud!"

Jess grasps Luke's wrist like a lifeline, trying to focus on him as he gasps for breath. "C-can't b-b-breathe… Ma- make it s-stop!"

"Hey, hey, you're alright. I'm right here, Jess." Luke sits beside him and gathers him in his arms. "Deep breaths, okay? Slow, deep breaths. There you go, that's it, kid." Jess lies still against Luke, taking in his steady heartbeat and letting it calm his own erratic one. His breathing finally slows as well and he feels relaxed for the first time tonight. "Better?"

Jess nods, too out of it to speak.

"You wanna talk about it?" Luke asks cautiously. "You really had me scared for a minute there, kid."

Jess shakes his head this time. "Sorry." He adds in a whisper, not sure if he's apologizing for not wanting to talk about it or for scaring Luke. It's probably both. "Can, um, can you stay with me? Just for a little bit?" Panic spikes in the pit of his stomach at the thought of being left alone with his thoughts again.

Luke shifts, getting more comfortable. "Yeah. Yeah, of course. Whatever you want. I'm here for you, Jess. I'll always be here." He gives him a quick squeeze and a kiss in his hair.

Jess shuts his eyes, relishing at the feeling of safety he has in his uncle's arms.

"Did I ever tell you about the first day I opened the diner?" Luke asks softly.

Keeping his eyes closed, he shakes his head and hums in the negative.

Jess feels more than hears Luke as he chuckles. "Oh, man, I was only about a year older than you are now. I wasn't even old enough to a buy a beer and yet I was opening a restaurant. People told me I was crazy, that restaurants almost always fail and I'd have better luck just keeping it a hardware store. But I was young and stupid, and thought, 'What do they know? They don't have a crystal ball.' so I went and got some help from Buddy, you remember Buddy right? I've taken you to his and his wife's restaurant a few times," At Jess' nod Luke continues. "Well, I went to him and his wife, told them I wanted to turn the store into a restaurant, and they didn't even hesitate before asking how they could help. With their backing, I went full steam ahead and was ready to open in no time."

"What's all that gotta do with opening day?" Jess drowsily asks. "Good thing you didn't go into storytelling, 'cause I'm gonna be fifty by the time you get to the point." He can't help but add on.

"The _point,_ as you put it, is that I thought I knew everything I needed to know. Like I said, I was young and stupid, and by the time opening day came around I was a mess. I didn't sleep a wink the night before, and all the talk about how I couldn't do it came rushing back. I was so scared, I was puking my guts out all morning then had a panic attack that was so bad I passed out in the back and hit my head."

"Seriously?"

"Yup. I still have the scar to prove it too."

Jess finds that hard to picture. Luke has always been so sturdy, he's like a rock. Just the thought of Luke having any type of panic attack like what he just had is just… weird. Relatable, which was probably what he was going for, but still weird.

Biting his lip, Jess thinks about what to say. He has a pretty good idea now on what's going on in his head, but just thinking it, let alone saying it out loud, is freaking him out. "Hey, Luke," He finally says after some time passes.

"Yeah?" Luke jerks awake a little.

"I, um, I just- I wanted to tell you… Let you know, that today... uh, during the movie, when Oliver was here… We- or, uh, he… kissed me. And I didn't kiss him back, but, uh, I… I also didn't pull away. And I think that's because the… the hypothetical is becoming not-so-hypothetical. That I might, um, have feelings for Oliver. Maybe." Jess holds his breath as he waits for Luke to respond.

"I know."

Out of all the things that Luke could say, that was pretty low on the list. "You knew? How? _I_ didn't even know."

"Well, I didn't _know_ know, but the phone bill was a pretty big clue. Plus, you have been so happy lately, right around the time he started hanging out here. And, I had an idea something happened today. First, Oliver runs out like a bat outta hell with his face ten different shades of red, then I come upstairs to find you with an even redder face if that's possible." Luke pauses. "Kiddo, I love you, so much. I'll always be proud of you, no matter who you want to date."

"Thanks. And I'm still not sure yet, if I want to date him, but I just wanted you to know, it's a possibility." Now that it's out there, Jess feels like a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders. Luke's always been accepting of him and saying he didn't care who he dated, but that's always been in the abstract. To hear Luke say it now, when it's a real possibility, makes him so relieved.

Emotionally and physically drained at this point, Jess slips into sleep in minutes.

 **This will be in two parts otherwise it was shaping up to be the size of a novel. This is the best place to end it. Not sure when exactly chapter two will be out, but my guess is a few weeks.**


	2. I Before E Except After C

**So, I lied. This is actually going to be three chapters. My bad.**

 **"So here's to us,  
And all our broken dreams,  
That never came to pass,  
We're still kings and queens" Here's to Us- Kevin Rudolf**

Jess wakes to the sound of voices filtering up from down in the diner. Sitting up slowly, he squints out the window only to find it barely daybreak. Luke must be meeting one of the early deliveries this morning. With a groan, Jess flops back down onto his back, fuzzy memories of last night coming back to him.

"You look like crap." A male voice says downstairs.

"Well, Steven, that's what happens when you only get two hours of sleep." Luke retorts.

Jess flushes with shame. He should have known Luke had to get up early. Now it's his fault Luke was up most the night since Jess fell asleep clinging to him like some baby. And even though Luke didn't say anything, his back is probably hurting too from having to sit up against the bed's headboard the whole time.

"Crazy night?"

Luke sighs. "You could say that. Jess was having a rough time, so I stayed up with him most of the night."

"I know that too well. My daughter had the flu last month and I only got about five hours of sleep that week."

"Hey, it's all part of the territory, right?" The door to the diner opens downstairs. "Have a good day now."

"See you next week, Luke."

The door closes and Jess hears Luke walking around, getting things set up. Soon he hears the stairs creaking as Luke walks up them. In a flash, Jess turns his back to the door Luke had left cracked open this morning and shuts his eyes like he's still asleep. Luke comes in only a second later and footsteps head his way until he hears Luke stop right behind him. He just stands there, and Jess is sure Luke knows he's awake, but Luke just grabs the sheet that had pooled by his legs and straightens it out over him. "If anyone deserves the extra sleep, it's definitely you, kid." After that, Luke fiddles with something on his nightstand, then heads back downstairs after closing the door completely this time with a soft click.

Jess waits a few seconds to be sure Luke is downstairs for good, and then turns over when the coast is clear. It takes him a minute to figure out what Luke did, but then he notices it. The little light for his alarm is turned off. He knows for a fact he turned it on last night because it was a pain in the ass to do while the room was pitch black. Luke's letting him sleep in, possibly even miss school today. God, if he had known all it would take was him coming out for Luke to let him skip school, he would have done it ages ago.

The grin on his face drops as reality sets in. He came out last night. Or at least he's out with Luke. Well, kinda came out. He's still not sure what his feelings for Oliver are. They're not fully romantic, but they aren't strictly platonic anymore. Now that he looks back on all their time together, he can see how their conversations could be mistaken as flirty. Hell, even his own body language was more than friendly, last night especially. No wonder Oliver got the wrong idea.

Deciding he's had enough heavy topic related thoughts for this early in the morning, Jess closes his eyes and falls back asleep for real.

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Luke doesn't bring up anything about last night the next time Jess sees him after wandering downstairs during the mid-morning lull. Although that might be in part that Kirk is sitting at the counter, and is currently the _only_ customer in the diner. After telling Luke what he wants for breakfast, he heads to the back, which unfortunately leaves Jess alone with Kirk.

Pulling out his book, he sits at the opposite end of the counter trying to ignore him. Kirk stares at him for a full minute before Jess gets fed up and tosses his book down. "Take a picture, it'll last longer!" He snaps.

Kirk doesn't even blink. "Why are you here?"

"Why are any of us here, Kirk?" Jess sighs, opening his book again.

"But it's a weekday."

"That it is, Kirk."

"You should be in school."

"I'm taking a personal day." Jess leaves it at that.

"But you're in highschool. Students can't take personal days, only sick days. Are you sick?"

"No, Kirk, I'm not sick." Jess is getting a little tired of playing twenty questions.

"Are you sure? You have bags under your eyes and you look a shade paler today than you did yesterday."

Jess only groans, wishing he had stayed upstairs.

"Kirk, leave Jess alone." Luke comes to his rescue. "Here, eat up." He sets the plate in front of him and gives him 'the look' that Jess has come to read as 'you're not leaving that spot until this plate is cleared'. He's really come to hate that look. "Why are you still here anyway?" Luke shifts his focus back to Kirk. "You finished hours ago."

"Mother kicked me out for the day. She has a gentleman friend over."

"I honestly have no response for that." Jess says to fill the void of silence that falls over the diner, although Luke's face is pretty funny.

"Why don't you go sit in Al's for a bit?" Luke suggests after he recovers.

"But I like it here." Kirk says oblivious.

"Luke wants to talk to me alone, Kirk. Now scram." Jess says with a mouthful.

"Oh, then why didn't he just say so?" Kirk stands and heads for the door. "Exactly how long is this going to take? Just so I have an estimate of when I can return."

"Goodbye, Kirk." Luke says with more force.

Jess hides a grin as Kirk practically runs out of the diner.

"So..." Luke gets his attention. "How are you?"

"Hungry." Jess answers before taking another bite and swallows.

"Yeah, I bet. Did you have dinner last night?"

"Does popcorn count?" Jess asks, already knowing the answer.

"No, popcorn does not count."

"Huh. I'll keep that in mind next time."

Luke's so transparent, Jess can tell he's struggling to bring up what he really wants to bring up.

"How's that bush?" Jess asks instead.

"What?"

"The one you're beating around. How is it?"

That earns him a glare, which at this rate is better than the awkward non-eye contact he's been doing. "I'm just trying to get an idea of where your head is at now. Like, are you gay or, uh, bi now?"

"I'm not gay." If there's anything Jess is sure of, it's that.

Luke nods. "Okay. That's something. Does that mean you're bi then?" Jess shrugs. This is where things get foggy for him. "See, this is the part where you say what you're thinking. You don't need to give a definite answer. I just-"

"-Wanna know where my head's at?" Jess finishes for him. At Luke's nod, Jess sighs. "I don't know. This is where I keep getting stuck. Like, I still find girls hot, so not gay, but…" Jess starts pushing his food around his plate, trying to think of the right way of wording his next thoughts. "Then I think about how I wasn't totally _against_ Oliver kissing me last night. And another problem is that I haven't thought of _any_ other guy like that. Like, if it had been Dean, I would have shoved him away without hesitating. It's like I'm just floating in this weird gray area."

Luke leans his arms on the counter, steepling his fingers together as he thinks. "Maybe…" He finally says. "It doesn't need to be as broad as you're making it out to be." Jess is still confused so Luke elaborates more. "Say for example, when it comes to girls you don't find _all_ girls attractive, just some because you have a type, right?"

"I'm with you so far."

"Okay, then what if _Oliver_ is your type."

"Yeah, but I've met plenty of guys like Oliver and I've never felt the urge to go makeout with them."

"So?" Luke shrugs. "There's no 'How to be Bi' handbook that says for every girl you find attractive, you need to find that many boys attractive. I mean, it's not written in stone that the ratio has to be fifty-fifty. Maybe for you it's more one to ninety-nine."

Jess nods, thinking it over. "In other words, Oliver's an exception. Like I before E except after C. Oliver's my C."

"Oliver's your C." Luke confirms with a smile.

Jess goes back to his breakfast, trying to smother down his own smile. Luke gives him a quick pat on the shoulder before straightening his back out with a poorly hidden wince. Guilt spikes as he lets his smile drop. "Hey, Luke? Sorry about my, uh, stupid freakout last night. Sitting up in my bed all night as you hold me probably wasn't high on your bucket list."

Luke stops what he's doing and comes straight back to him, concern edged on his face. "Jess, look at me. That wasn't just some stupid freakout, it was a panic attack. One that was bad enough to cause you to stop breathing. Do you know how scary that was for me? The only thing I _could_ do was hold you, hoping it was enough to calm you down. And once you did calm down and fall asleep, I was too scared to leave you again, so trust me when I say sitting up with you was for me as much as it was for you. Okay?"

Jess nods slowly, still not used to Luke, or anyone for that matter, showing this much concern for his well being. It's like that town meeting all over again where Luke stood up for him and wouldn't budge an inch with Taylor until the man would let Jess back in his store. The part that Jess is still hung up on though is how Luke called him 'his kid'. At the time he just thought it was a slip up or some type of fluke. Luke calls him kid all the time, how is that time any different from all the other times Luke has addressed him as kid? But now with everything that happened last night and the talk they just had, he feels maybe Luke was a little more deliberate in his choice to say 'my kid'.

Before Jess loses his courage, he gets Luke's attention before he heads to the back again. "Hey, Luke, I was just wondering-" Jess doesn't get any further than that since the bell to the diner door cuts him off.

"Luke, if I could just have a moment of your time?" Taylor comes straight to the counter, oblivious to Luke's glare.

"We're busy, Taylor. Go away."

Taylor does a double-take at Jess, noticing him for the first time. "What are you doing here?"

If there's ever a time Jess is really sick of hearing the same question, it's now. "I live here." He states the obvious.

Taylor turns back to Luke and starts to talk about him like he's not sitting right in front of them. "Luke, it is eleven-thirty am on a wednesday. Are you so casual about breaking the compulsory education laws that you'll just flaunt it in the middle of your diner for just anyone to see?"

"Technically, I'm eighteen now so that means there's no law saying I have to go to school."

"He will be back tomorrow." Luke gives him a warning look, although Jess isn't sure if it's for him to stop antagonizing Taylor, or that, eighteen or not, Jess _will_ be going to school if Luke has anything to say about it. Or both. There's a pretty good chance it means both. "He was up all night with a migraine so I gave him a pass for today. Now, was there anything important you needed or are you just here to criticize my parenting techniques? Because we were in the middle of something before you came barging in."

Taylor side-eyes him, shuffling the papers in his hand. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I have a few questions in regards to the building next door. The building's history, any instances that I should be aware of, that sort of thing."

Luke sighs. "I don't know, Taylor. You're the one on the history preservation society or whatever it's called, I just bought the place to expand upstairs."

"Luke, as the owner of the property, it's your job to keep and maintain pristine records on hand at all times for the tenant to pursue at their leisure."

"Hey, Luke, I'm gonna head upstairs." Jess announces as he stands, wanting to get out before Luke and Taylor give him a real headache with one of their matches. He can tell this is setting up to be a big one judging by the vein pulsing in Luke's neck, the 'Taylor vein' Jess has come to naming it.

"Whoa, hold on a minute, Jess." Jess pauses at the base of the stairs. "He can wait. What were you going to ask me?"

Jess glances at Taylor and quickly loses his nerve. "Um, nothing. It doesn't matter. I'm just gonna go lie down for a bit."

Luke doesn't look like he believes him, but luckily doesn't push the issue. "Yeah, okay. Just don't sleep too long, or you won't be tired tonight."

"Whatever you say, Uncle Luke."

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Rory's enjoying lunch in Luke's after school with Dean and Oliver, glad she was able to get a ride home for the first time in a week. She's not sure what happened, but as if out of the blue, Oliver has been citing excuse after excuse for why he can't make it out to Stars Hollow. He hasn't even been out over the weekend. She's brought it up multiple times at school, but he dodges her at every turn, and gets extra squirrely when the subject of Jess is brought up.

Speaking of Jess, she watches as he appears around the corner from the staircase, momentarily freezing at the sight of their table. He gives them a quick nod, avoiding eye contact with Oliver. Glancing over, she notices Oliver all of a sudden very interested in his food.

She shares a silent look with Dean, but he only minutely shrugs, having no idea what happened either.

"Luke, I need you to sign this." Jess follows after his uncle as he delivers some plates to a table.

"I'm a little busy at the moment." Luke says, going to pick up more orders.

"Come on, this will only take a second."

With a sigh, Luke drops off the orders and heads to the counter. "Fine, what is it?"

"First of all, I took care of all the paperwork and all you have to do is sign. Absolutely no hasile on your part."

"Jess, get to the point." Luke says not paying much attention.

"I need you to sign this so I can get on your car insurance." Jess places the paper on the counter in front of Luke.

"Car insurance? Jess, you don't have a car."

"That was true yesterday, but Dean helped me get a good deal at Gypsy's." Rory shoots Dean a look, wondering if it's true, which he confirms with a nod.

"Jeez, I don't know, Jess. Do you know if you can even afford a car? Paying for the thing is just one of the many expenses."

"I've already budgeted for it. I have some money stashed away from working here and at the inn, I know all the cheap places for gas, and I've even accounted for oil."

"What if it breaks down?"

"I can do most of the repairs myself, and Dean said he'd help out on the things I can't figure out. C'mon, Luke, please? I have all the math upstairs if you wanna see it."

"You really want this?" Luke asks.

"I really do."

Luke sighs, grabbing a pen. "Alright. Just out of curiosity, why my insurance and not getting your own?"

Jess grabs the paper, folding it back up neatly. "Turns out, eighteen year old males are considered high-risk in the eyes of insurance companies, but with your great record backing me, it's way cheaper."

Luke huffs, but let's Jess go as he gets back to work. Jess doesn't even give Rory and the others a second glance as he runs back upstairs. With her mind made up, Rory stands uruptly. "I, um, need to go borrow a book from Jess. Luke, can I-"

"Yeah, sure, go on up." He answers as he runs around to deliver the backed up orders.

"Thanks." She turns back to Dean and Oliver. "I'll be real fast, I promise."

"No problem." Dean answers, with a look in his eye that he knows exactly what she's up to. He's probably just as curious as she is with what's going on with the two.

She gives him a quick smile before heading upstairs, knocking on the door. Jess yells it's open and she enters to find him at his and Luke's little dinner table with papers all around him.

"You weren't kidding when you told Luke you did the math." She says after scanning a few of the pages.

His eyes shift up to her. "What do you want, Gilmore?"

She takes a seat at the table, head held high. "What makes you think I want something, Mariano?"

"You have your stubborn reporter face on. You only pull out your stubborn report face if you want something, so what is it?"

"Fine." She gets straight to the point. "What happened between you and Oliver?"

He shifts. "Nothing."

"Really? So your deer-in-the-headlights impression down there was what exactly? For funsies?" Now he won't even look at her as he gathers up all the papers on the table. She's getting warmer. "Did you guys get in a fight?"

"What? No, of course not."

"Then tell me."

Jess stands, taking the papers to the desk on Luke's side of the apartment. "There's nothing for me to tell."

She follows after him. "We both know that's a lie. People don't just go from inseparable like the two of you have been to not even making eye-contact over nothing."

"Why do you even care what's going on between us?" Jess asks as he flops down onto the couch.

She takes a seat next to him. "I miss the free rides." She jokes before growing serious again. "No, but seriously, Jess, you're my best friend. It's my job to care. I at least need to know if Oliver did something to hurt you so I can give him some major shunning."

"Thanks for the offer, but it's not necessary."

"Not even minor shunning?" She checks.

"No shunning of any kind is needed, but I'll let you know if I'll need your shunning abilities in the future."

"So, then, what happened?"

Jess sighs, throwing his head back and staring up at the ceiling. "I was an idiot. A dumb, stupid idiot who can't read social cues of any kind until they hit me in the face."

Rory winces, having a bad feeling she knows where this is going. "Is this about how Oliver has that crush on you?"

He raises his head off the back of the couch to look at her. "You knew?"

"If it helps, Mom was the one that pointed it out to me at our party." She bites her lip, trying to think of what to say next. "Did he, uh, did he tell you?"

Jess lets out a dry laugh. "You could say that." She makes a 'go on' gesture, making him squirm. "He kissed me."

Rory feels her jaw drop. "No! What did you do? You didn't thank him and then run away, did you?"

Jess rolls his eyes. "No, Miss Manners, I didn't thank him. I didn't do anything, I just froze and the next thing I know he's across the room packing up his stuff and saying he needs to get home. I haven't seen him since."

"And what are you thinking? How do you feel about it?"

"I've had a week to process everything, Luke being a shockingly good sounding board, and I've come to the conclusion that, maybe, if the circumstances were different I'd be willing to give this a shot, but I just can't risk losing one of the few friends I have. I do like him, I really do, but I think if he really did like me back then I've already blown my shot."

"Oh, Jess, what makes you think that?"

"You were down there, he won't even _look_ at me. Why do I screw everything up?"

Rory grips his arm, resting her head on his shoulder. "You do not screw everything up." She says firmly.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I don't have the most stellar track record here."

Rory lifts her head up to look at him. "Ever think maybe Oliver thinks _he's_ the one that screwed up?" Jess scoffs. "Hey, I'm serious. Look at it from his point of view, it had to have taken a lot of guts to kiss you and when you didn't respond right away, he wigged out. He's probably scared you never want to see him again."

"Then why won't he try and talk to me?"

"Why haven't you?" She counters, causing him to go speechless. "Just go talk to him, what's the worst that could happen? You two will never speak again? Oh, wait, that's how it is right now."

Rory can see the gears turning in Jess' head before he sighs in defeat. "I hate it when your right. I'm supposed to be the older and wiser one."

She stands up, pulling him to his feet as well. "Grumble, grumble, grumble." She mocks him. "Now, come on, chop chop."

He stops, causing her to fumble. "Wait, right now?"

"Why not? He's right downstairs. There's no time like the present to tell your crush you like him back."

"But-"

"Nope, you're going mister, whether you like it or not." She yanks him along.

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Jess stumbles down the last few steps, righting himself with the help of the counter. "Jess, how many times have I told you not to mess around on the stairs?" Luke scolds in passing.

"I wasn't, she shoved me!" He glares back at Rory, who has a smug smile plastered on her face.

"Please, I did not shove you, you tripped over your own feet."

"Yeah, after you _shoved me!"_

"That was a _nudge_ not a _shove._ It's not my fault you have terrible coordination."

"You're one to talk, you little-"

"Alright, enough." Luke comes between them. "Jess, inside voice. Rory, no more shoving, or _nudging,_ people down the stairs." He mumbles the next part under his breath as he walks away. "I swear, I'm dealing with ten year-olds."

Jess gives Rory one last glare. "Despot." He mutters. She ignores him, making a shooing gesture instead.

Preparing himself, he turns around and fidgets in place, suddenly very nervous. "Oliver, can I talk to you? In private, that is."

Eyes wide, Oliver swallows his bite of food and nods. "Yeah, um, let me just-" He stands as he wipes his mouth with a napkin. "Lead the way."

Jess takes them outside and around the corner, away from prying eyes in the diner and the main street. They both shiver and Jess suddenly wishes he had thought to bring a coat. "Sorry, I would have gone upstairs, but the pest is extra annoying today."

"No, I get it. Well, I don't, being an only child, but it's moments like that that make me grateful for that fact."

Jess chuckles, having missed his ramblings. "Trust me, it's moments like that that make me _wish_ I was still an only child." Jess bites his lip, never being one for small talk. "Listen-"

"About last week-" They both start talking at the same time. "Sorry, I interrupted."

"No, it's fine. You first." Jess motions for Oliver to go, a little voice in his head that sounds suspiciously like Rory saying he's stalling like a coward.

"Right, like I was saying, I'm sorry about last week. I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that."

Jess shakes his head. "No, you didn't put me on the spot. I was a little surprised maybe, but-"

"Please, stop. I'm not oblivious, I saw how uncomfortable I made you and I just want you to know you don't have to worry."

"Worry?" This isn't how Jess saw this conversation going, and in the small time-frame of walking out the diner to now, he's already thought up _a lot_ of different ways.

Oliver nods. "That's right. You don't need to think I'm, like, secretly pining over you or something. We work good as friends, just as friends. I just got swept up in the moment, and I promise it will never happen again."

"Oh."

"Plus, you're straight anyway, right?"

Jess swallows the lump in his throat, feeling like his heart is about to pound out of his chest. "Yeah, um, yeah. That's… that's right. I'm straight."

Oliver sticks his hands in his pockets looking relieved. "So, now that that's taken care of, what were you going to say?"

"Oh! Um, no, you… you just about covered it all. That's exactly what I was gonna say. We should just be friends." Jess hopes his grin doesn't look as forced as it feels. He hides his shaky hands in his pockets, trying to appear casual.

"Whew, great, that's a load off my mind. I was so scared you weren't going to talk to me ever again."

The two head back to the door, wanting to get out of the cold. "Wouldn't've made much difference, you do most of the talking for the both of us, remember?"

Oliver shoves him with a laugh. "Jerk."

Jess plays along, holding the door open. Rory eagerly searches him out when he walks in, probably thinking there's good news do to the laughter, but he just subtly shakes his head and motions that he'll call her later. Her smile drops a fraction and she nods back in understanding.

Jess clears his throat as Oliver sits back down. "I'd love to stay, but I, uh, I just remembered I promised Luke that I'd fill out the order sheet this week." Without waiting for a reply, he spins around while taking a shaky breath and escapes upstairs before his emotions get the better of him.

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Luke waits a minute before poking his head into the kitchen to let Caesar know he's going on a ten minute break. He makes his way upstairs and listens outside the door for any noise. Not hearing anything, he knocks lightly.

"Hey, Jess? Can I come in?"

"Whatever." With a sigh, he comes in to find Jess curled up on his bed with a book, back to the door. "I don't wanna talk about it." His tone is neutral the whole time, not once wavering.

Luke sits down on the edge of his bed. "You don't have to talk if you don't want to."

"Good, because I don't." He continues staring at the pages, obviously not reading.

Luke thinks over what to say. "I was taking out the garbage when I overheard your guys' conversation." Jess stiffens, but still doesn't look up, so Luke squeezes his ankle. "Kid, why didn't you tell him the truth?"

Jess gives a half shrug. "The point was kinda moot by then. Me telling him I'm bi wouldn't have changed the fact that he just wants to be friends."

Luke swallows, feeling terrible for Jess. The poor kid finally figures out what he wants and then it gets ripped away from him. "I'm so sorry, Jess."

"Whatever, it doesn't matter anymore. I just want to be left alone for a while." Luke jumps as Jess' voice raises above a whisper for the first time.

"Are you sure? We can see if there's something on tv, or I can make us something to eat-"

"Luke, please!" He voice finally cracks and Luke pretends not to hear the soft sniffles coming from him.

"Okay," Luke pats his leg as he gets up. "I'll be downstairs if you need me."

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Luke checks in on Jess every hour, on the hour, but nothing chances. If anything, he's limited his answers to Luke's questions to one word answers. By hour four of this Luke is really starting to get worried. It's like Jess has just completely shut down, and he's no expert, but he's pretty sure that's not a healthy way of coping.

Luke's the only one downstairs when Lorelai comes in. "Oh, thank god. Just the person I wanted to see."

Lorelai sits at the counter, setting her purse next to her. "I love it when men say that to me."

"I need your help." He gets straight to the point, ignoring her jokes.

She frowns at his serious tone. "Why? What's wrong? Is this about Jess? Rory told me what happened today. And before you say anything, don't worry, she only told me. You, me, and Rory are the only ones that know and it will stay that way. She didn't even tell Dean."

Luke isn't surprised Jess told Rory. Those two tell each other just about everything nowadays. He is surprised he told her knowing full well it would get back to Lorelai, those are the two that _do_ tell each other everything. "Yeah, it's about Jess. I was hoping you could go talk to him. I'm not good at all this teen romance angst and I was thinking this is something he might be willing to open up to you a bit more with."

"Luke, he's a heartbroken teen, there isn't much I can do. Time is really the only fix here."

"I know, but it's been hours and he hasn't moved an inch. All he's done is lie there and stare at the same page in his book the whole time. You helped Rory when her and Dean broke up that one time, just do with Jess what you did with her."

"I guess," She sighs. "but I make no promises. Now, what's his favorite ice cream flavor?" She gets up and heads to the kitchen.

He follows after her, thoroughly confused. "Mint chocolate chip. What are you-"

She pulls out the tub and grabs two spoons. "All part of the process."

"Lorelai, he hasn't eaten all day. Do you really think it's a good idea to fill him up with something that's almost completely sugar?"

"Ah, ah." She holds a hand up. "You're the one that asked for help. Now, let the master of wallowing go on her way."

Luke holds his hands up in surrender and lets her pass. "Alright, whatever you say. Just, please don't eat that entire container in one sitting."

"We'll try to refrain ourselves, but sometimes you just have to let the wallowing process take its own course."

Lorelai leaves with a flourish after that, Luke shaking his head at her antics. He just hopes whatever Lorelai does helps, he never wants to see Jess this down again.

0000000000000000

Lorelai juggles the tub of ice cream and spoons in one hand as she knocks on the door then opens it slowly without waiting for a reply. "Hey," She says softly as she closes the door behind her. "I heard you had a pretty rough day today."

Jess is just as Luke had described to her, back to the door and staring blankly at a book. "Go 'way."

"But then who would help me eat all this ice cream I stole from the kitchen downstairs? A little birdy told me it's your favorite." She holds the tub up, hoping he'll turn around, but no such luck.

"That little birdy needs to learn to keep his mouth shut. Now leave me alone."

Plan A didn't work, but she knew this wouldn't be easy. She'll just go on to plan B. He'll cave soon enough, even Rory couldn't hold out forever, and she's way more stubborn than Jess. "Fine. I'll just eat it all by myself, right here on this couch. If that's alright with you, Sulky McSulkerson."

"Do whatever you want."

"In that case, I'll just turn the tv on."

"Fine by me."

She turns on the tv and starts to flip through the channels, grinning when she finds the movie channel. Turning up the volume so he can hear what's playing, she opens the tub of ice cream and digs in. "Oh, man, I haven't seen _Almost Famous_ since it came out in theaters. I never get to watch it, Rory hates it."

She waits a moment, then hears Jess shuffling. He doesn't turn around, but he is paying her more attention. "You took a thirteen year-old Rory to go see an R-rated movie?"

"It's never too early to give her the 'say no to drugs' speech."

She hears a small snicker and counts that as a step in the right direction. Thirty minutes pass and she hears him getting up this time, slowly shuffling over to the couch. Knowing if she makes any sort of big deal it will likely make him clam up, so she just hands him a spoon after he sits down and sets the tub of ice cream between them.


	3. Shut Up Already

Things get easier for Jess after a few days. He'd rather get mauled by a bear than admit it out loud, but Lorelai was a lot of help. She just sat with him during the whole movie, never once trying to get him to talk. He had fallen asleep soon into the next movie and woke up the next morning to find himself in his bed, no memory of leaving the couch. She never brought their impromptu movie night up again either, giving her major bonus points in his books.

Now, all Jess wants is for the straining awkwardness that falls between himself and Oliver whenever they are left alone to go away, then everything would be perfect. So far, the only fix Jess has found is that he just makes sure they always hang out down in the diner or around town, the only exception being if they have Rory, Dean, and/or Lane with them at someones house. This unspoken arrangement is made easier by Oliver, who has stopped sleeping over altogether. To be honest, the sleepovers wouldn't have bothered Jess as much, since Luke's always around to act as a buffer, but he figures it's for the best anyway.

Luke notices the change in routine, but never mentions it aloud. Just gives Jess subtle reminders that he doesn't mind if he sleeps over at Rory or Dean's, even on a school night, the only requirement being Jess give him a heads up so he knows where he is.

Jess doesn't take him up on it.

He still hasn't had the guts to tell Dean about his new found crush, uncharastically nervous about how Dean might take the news. He knows he's being irrational. He told Lane no problem and she took it with surprisingly little fanfare. She just punched him in the arm, told him it was about time he admitted it, then went right make to talking about how she needs to find a rehearsal space for her band that's out of earshot of her mother.

He'll get to it. Soon. Some time this century.

For now he just likes not having someone checking in with him privately everytime him and Oliver are in the same room. Like now for instance as Oliver comes in and heads straight for the counter where Jess isn't even bothering to pretend to be working. Rory gives him a worrying glance, but he ignores it in favor of pretending to be reading his book.

"Please say I didn't miss it."

Jess closes his book slowly. "My condolences." He says dryly.

"Damn it! I got here as fast as I could too." He slumps onto a stool. "While obeying all speed limits." He tacks on at Luke's warning look. Jess smothers a laugh. No one is immune to Luke's lectures about safe driving.

"Nice save." Luke says as he writes on an order pad. "Now, what did you rush here to see?"

"Town loner protest."

Luke rolls his eyes, heading for the kitchen. "Forget I asked." He mutters.

"Don't worry, doll, the thing was a bust." Babette croaks out from her table.

"Yeah, due to some three stooges level of occurrences and some really bad enunciating on the town loner's part, we never found out what he was protesting, only that it started with the letter R." Lorelai chimes in.

"In other words, we just looked like a bunch of idiots standing out in fifty degree weather." Jess simplifies things.

"I still think it was Ragu." Rory says across from her mom.

"Or reptiles!" Babette points out.

"No, it was robots. Definitely robots." Kirk joins in now.

"But Babette said she heard him yell something about jello." Andrew adds.

Jess sighs and rubs his temples as everyone in the diner starts to talk over one another with their own theories. Again. "See what you started. They had _finally_ dropped the subject two minutes ago. I had a blessed _two minutes_ where there was no talk of ragu or robots. Two minutes. Now they're gonna be stuck on this conversation for forty more minutes."

"My condolences." Oliver repeats back to him in pseudo-seriousness, before a grin slowly takes over. Jess shakes his head, fighting back his own grin.

"If you're done chatting, Coffee-boy, I need a refill." Lorelai comes to the counter with her mug. Jess rolls his eyes as he turns around to get the pot. "Anyway, I have a new theory on what the town loner was protesting."

"Oh, this oughta be good." Jess mutters as he pours her more coffee.

"Colors and how people need to just let them be what they are. No red being the new blue, or say green being the new pink."

"Mom, just let it go!" Rory yells from their table.

"No, I will not let it go! You took away my catharsis so ranting is all I have left! Who says that anyway?! 'Green is the new pink!' Pink is pink, green is green, just leave it alone, Sherry!"

Oliver glances at Jess, waiting for an explanation, but he only shrugs, for once just as confused with what's going on.

"Say whatever you want," Luke comes out of the kitchen. "I, for one, am pretty grateful for that weird philosophy."

"No, you Judas! Out of everyone, I thought I would have Mr. Old School backing me up here."

"Hey, that whole 'green is the new pink' thing is the only reason this one didn't come home from the hospital in a pink onesie." Luke gestures to Jess, who groans. "Instead, he just spent the first six months dressed like Marvin the Martian."

"What?" Oliver asks with a chuckle. Oh no, Lorelai has her evil smirk now.

She turns her head to him. "Jess didn't tell you?" She asks.

"Tell me what?"

"Lorelai, shut up." Jess jumps in.

"See, his mom had a 'feeling' he was going to be a girl, so she only had a girl's name picked out. Jess' original name was going to be Jessica." Lorelai says between giggles.

"But it's not!" Jess cuts in. "I'll bring out my birth certificate as proof. My full name is Jess, just Jess."

"His middle name was going to be Willa." Luke unhelpfully adds, causing Lorelai to choke on her sip of coffee.

Jess sighs. "Must you add to this insanity?"

Luke shrugs. "I didn't get as much entertainment from the protest as I thought I would. Look at the bright side, at least I didn't tell Lorelai about the baby photos of you we found at the storage unit a few weeks ago."

Lorelai's eyes light up. "I'm sorry, the what now?"

Jess gives his uncle a betrayed look. "What did I ever do to you?"

"You drank the last of the milk last night." He says flatly.

Jess open and closes his mouth a couple times before just giving up completely. "That's it, we're outta here." He makes his way around the counter and doesn't stop as he grabs Oliver by the crook of the elbow, dragging him along.

"But I skipped breakfast to get here. I was gonna eat."

Jess snatches his jacket off the coat rack. "It may come as a shock, but this isn't the only place in town with food. Now let's go." He shoves Oliver out the door before Luke gets the bright idea of bringing down those stupid pictures. He should've burned the damn things when he had the chance.

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Jess watches as Dean is elbows deep in Jackson's truck. "Man, Jackson really did a number on his truck. What all do you have to do?"

Dean grunts, trying to loosen a bolt. "I think it'd be quicker to list what I _don't_ have to do."

Jess whistles. "Well, that explains Gypsy's good mood. She must be making a fortune off this thing."

"Hey, I'm not complaining, I'm getting a pretty good bonus when this is done." Dean wipes his hands on a rag, grabbing a different tool. "So, not that I don't enjoy the company, but I thought you had plans to go to some bookstore that just opened in Woodbury with Rory and Oliver."

"We were, but Rory just called and said General Geller is keeping everyone back to work on the Franklin."

Dean nods in understanding, knowing too well how tight a ship Paris runs. "Hey, Jess, can I ask you something?"

Jess eyes him, wondering where this is going. "You can ask all you want, but I make no promises about answering."

Dean stops working, giving Jess his full attention. "What's been going on between you and Oliver?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Jess plays dumb.

Dean gives him an unimpressed look. "Don't do that. Don't treat me like I'm this dumb jock, we both know I'm not. Look, I'm just saying I'm not oblivious, you two were thick as thieves one minute, then the next thing I know it's like you guys can't be left alone without some chaperone."

Jess chews his lip, feeling guilty for thinking Dean wouldn't notice. "I didn't- I don't-" Jess stutters. "I'm not good at communicating, you know that." He starts over. "I guess I just hoped you wouldn't bring it up, so I could put off talking about it."

"If it really makes you that uncomfortable, I understand. You don't owe me anything."

Jess shakes his head. "Thanks for the out, but I've been putting this off long enough. It all started a few weeks ago…"

It's hard at first, but once Jess gets momentum he tells Dean just about everything. He leaves out his panic attack and the movie and ice cream night, wanting to keep those things between him, and Luke and Lorelai, but everything else is fair game.

Dean listens closely, nodding along. He stays quiet when Jess gets to the end, a thoughtful look on his face. "Well? Are you gonna say anything? You know I don't do touchy-feely crap like this so if you have something to say, then say it."

"You should tell him you have feelings for him."

Jess scoffs. "Weren't you listening, man? It doesn't matter what I feel, he just wants to be friends."

"I was listening, and that's exactly why I think you should talk to him. You two need to get on the same page here. You obviously want this, and I can't speak for Oliver, but if he kissed you then that's a pretty big sign that he wants this too."

What Dean says hits a little too close to home, but Jess isn't ready to hear this. This is probably why he didn't want to talk to Dean about this in the first place. "So what? Just because you and Rory have been dating for two years, that it all of a sudden makes you the expert on relationships?" He deflects.

Dean holds his hands up. "Fine, don't listen to me. Do nothing and pout over it, I have no stake in this." He gets back to work on the truck, not rising to the bait. "Can you hand me that wrench?" Jess purposely grabs a screwdriver and hands that to him. "Wow. Real mature."

"Oops, my mistake. Guess I was just too distracted with all my pouting." Jess says sarcastically.

Dean rolls his eyes, grabbing the wrench himself.

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Jess is going to murder Kirk. Sure, he's made this claim at least once every day since he started working in the diner, but he actually means it this time. The guy can see that Jess is busy at the counter trying to help Oliver out with his math homework before his friend pulls all his hair out in frustration, but he still keeps cutting in. And normally Luke would smooth things out, but he's been upstairs on the phone with his meat guy for the past hour after there was some mix up with their order.

"Jess, Luke said you aren't allowed to ignore me anymore. I am on a very tight eating schedule leading up to the dance marathon and if I want to win again, making it my fifth time in a row I might add, I need to have my four o'clock pb and j." Kirk whines from his table.

"Kirk, for the last time, I'll help you when I'm finished. Every time you interrupt me though it'll take me even longer to get to you. Great lesson in cause and effect for you." Jess snaps.

"But it's three fifty-eight. I need to have my sandwich in two minutes or my whole schedule will be thrown into chaos."

Jess throws a bagel at Kirk, missing him by a foot.

"Hey, I was still eating that." Oliver complains.

"I'll buy you a new one."

"Can I throw the next one? Your aim stinks."

"Deal." Jess agrees. He glances up as the door opens, but gets back to the math problem when he sees it's only Lorelai. "Luke's upstairs. Just get your own coffee."

Lorelai grins, coming behind the counter to pour her own cup. "Wow, I never get to see the place from back here. It's very, 'Everything the light touches is our kingdom'."

Jess rolls his eyes. "Yup, I just can't wait to be king."

Jess ignores Lorelai's gasp. "You followed along with my bit. This is the first time you've ever followed along with my bit." She leans down next to him, forearms resting on the counter. "Look at us, having a bonding moment."

"Would you leave? We're busy."

She tilts her head. "With what? There are so many numbers and letters, I can't tell if you're doing math or wheel of fortune, because Pat, I'd like to buy a vowel."

Oliver groans, lying his head on the counter.

Jess glares at Lorelai. "Thanks for that."

She at least has the decency to look sheepish.

"Three fifty-nine!" Kirk calls out.

"Shut _up,_ Kirk!"

"So… Jess. How tall would you say you are?" Lorelai looks him up and down. "And what's your weight? You look skinny, but it's hard to tell since you always wear baggy clothes."

"No." He tells her firmly.

"But you don't even know what I was going to ask you."

"Were you about to ask me to be your partner for the stupid dance marathon?"

"Yes." She answers reluctantly.

"Then no!"

"Oh, come on, Jess! Please! Rory already told me no and I'm running out of options here! You're small and light so I can hold you up if you fall asleep. Please, Obi Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope."

Jess waves a hand in front of her. "I'm not the droid you're looking for."

Lorelai pouts and stomps her foot. "Okay, see, you following along with the bit was funnier before you kept saying no."

"Jess, I need that sandwich now! It's four! I need to eat my sandwich at four!"

"Kirk, just go to the back and tell Caesar yourself!" Jess snaps.

"You know, if you help me win, we can rub it in Kirk's face. Imagine how good that will feel." Lorelai doesn't give up. Jess sighs, annoyed that he's actually considering it now. "I'll also throw in fifty bucks." She adds.

"Fine." He finally caves.

"Really?!"

"Yes, really. Now get lost."

"Yes!" Lorelai throws her hands in the air. "You are forever Mommy's favorite now!" Jess freezes when she wraps him in a hug, kissing him on the cheek.

"Get off before I change my mind." Jess shoves her back.

It doesn't seem to phase her though as she passes by Kirk. "Ha! You are going down this year!"

"That's not fair! You have Jess sabotaging me! Lorelai, get back here and face me!" Kirk runs out after her.

Oliver lifts his head again. "Is it a bad sign that none of what just happened even phased me?"

Jess reaches across the counter to pat him on the shoulder. "I told you you'd grow a thick skin to it all. And it's safe to assume you won't save me the embarrassment and stay home?"

Oliver grins. "When is it?"

Jess hangs his head, not knowing why he bothered asking. "Saturday. I'll let Rory know to save you a seat in the bleachers."

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Jess is trying to get in a quick nap on the bleachers as he dreads the start of the stupid dance marathon. He would have held out for more money if he had known he had to be to the gym at five-thirty in the morning. He doesn't even get up this early to help Luke out in the diner. The only good part of his morning was coming into Rory's room at five and banging two pots together. It's her fault he's stuck doing this, if he has to suffer than so does she.

Speaking of the devil incarnated…

He jerks awake when she kicks the bleachers. "Move…" She groans.

Jess sits up slowly, taking the tan fedora off his face that he was using to block the light and blinks sluggishly at her. "I hate you."

"So you've said, once or twice, or twenty times this morning." She says as she sits down next to him, handing him a thermos. "Thought you might want some before Mom drinks it all."

Jess snatches the thermos from her, taking a few big gulps. "Your mother seemed to have forgotten to mention that I'd have to wear a freakin' costume. I feel like I should be walking into a house and yelling, 'Lucy, I'm home!' in a cuban accent." He complains, wishing he could be in his pj's like Rory.

"It's not _that_ bad, and you're way more Sinatra than Ricardo."

"Just call me Ol' Blue Eyes." Jess mumbles, taking another sip.

"Hey! Look who finally joined us in the land of the living!" Lorelai bounces up to them. Jess glares at her. "Come on now, turn that frown upside down!"

"I hate you."

"Aw, I love you, too." Lorelai gives him sickly sweet smile. She turns her smile to Rory. "And what are your plans, Sweets?"

"I'm going to stay for the first song, since _someone_ woke me up already…" She side-eyes Jess, who hides his smirk in the thermos. "Then I'm going home to take a nap, shower, and come back with Dean around noon. That should be right when Andrew gets in a fight with his date and storms off."

Right when she finishes listing out her schedule, Taylor announces that the dance is about to start.

"That's our cue! Escort me to the floor, good sir?" Lorelai says in a terrible british accent, holding out her arm.

Jess sighs, handing Rory the thermos as he stands. "Wish us luck."

"Luck!" She grins.

Lorelai pulls him out to the middle of the floor, grinning widely. "Come on, chin up. It won't kill you to have a good time."

"You sure about that?"

"Positive. Now, are you ready to mop the floor with Kirk?"

"Only if we get him to cry afterwards."

"That's the spirit!"

They get interrupted as the countdown starts, Lorelai practically vibrating where she stands. Jess lets his eyes sweep across the room for the first time. Kirk looks uncharacteristically serious for a change, and he's not sure if serious Kirk is weirder than non-serious Kirk. It's probably about fifty-fifty. He spots Luke at his coffee stand and scoffs. He really did go through with charging for cream. Luke sees him and makes a scoff of his own, gesturing to his outfit. Right, Luke hadn't seen him since Lorelai had him stay with her last night so they could have 'maximum efficiency' getting here.

"Three! Two! One!"

Jess jumps as Taylor blows an air horn. "Jeez! Who had the bright idea to let him within a hundred feet of one of those things?" He complains over the band, dancing as little as he can get away with.

"Patty will get it away from him eventually, she always does. Now dance already!" She shakes his hands.

"I am! This is a marathon, not a sprint. I'm conserving my energy."

"You have time to do that later, this is the first song! You always go all out on the first song! Look at Babette and Morey, they know how it's done."

Jess glances over at them. "Babette just tapped out."

"Wha-?" She spins her head around. "Oh, well, bad example. Ignore that, but look at everyone else, they are all in full swing, pun maybe intended."

Jess rolls his eyes and sighs. "Fine, _one song._ I mean it."

He doesn't know how to swing dance, so Lorelai takes the lead as he copies her. Near the end, not that he'll admit it, but he starts to have a little fun. As a big finish Lorelai spins him out and then back to her, nearly causing him fall. Luckily she keeps a strong hold of him and rights him back up.

"See? Nice and light, perfect weight for me to hold up."

" _I'm_ supposed to spin _you_ out, not the other way around!"

"But I'm taller than you, that means I lead."

"You're only taller because you're in heels." He points out.

"Guess you should have worn heels then, buddy, because _I'm_ leading. Now admit it, you had fun."

He scoffs. "You're cracked."

"I saw you! You were grinning!"

"I was not!"

"Oh, you so were!"

Jess is about to argue that he _wasn't,_ when Rory flags them over. "You heading out, babe?" Lorelai asks when reach the edge of the dance floor.

"Yup, I'll see you guys in a few hours. Oh, and by the way, Jess, you were totally grinning. I could see you from over here. Bye."

"I wasn't grinning!" He yells at her retreating back.

"God, you need to loosen up, grandpa. Hopefully you'll get that stick outta your butt when your boyfriend gets here."

Jess shoots her a look. "Could you say that any louder?" He hisses, glancing around to make sure no one heard. "And he's not my boyfriend. You know he just wants to be friends."

"Actually, I barely know anything because you haven't told me anything." She says softly.

"You _said_ I don't have to talk about it."

"And you still don't." She backtracks. "Let me just say, I'm glad you're respecting his wishes, really, but have you two ever had a conversation together on what you _both_ want? I've told you this before and I still mean it, you deserve to be happy, kid."

This whole thing is getting a little too close to the talk he and Dean had last week. "I don't wanna talk about this. Can we just focus on dancing?"

"Yeah, of course, hon. Whatever you want."

The two sway to the music, Jess focusing on a point behind her so he doesn't have to see all the worried looks she keeps sending his way.

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Like Lorelai said, after the first song was over everyone had slowed down and started to pace themselves. In the past six hours, Jess and Lorelai each used a yellow card for a bathroom break, the coffee from earlier catching up with them. Now Jess is swaying slowly as he keeps one hand on Lorelai's shoulder and the other holding a book he had taken from Rory's room this morning.

Lorelai jostles him a bit. "Heads up, Kirk incoming." She whispers. Jess sighs as he stuffs his book in his back pocket. "Hey, Kirk."

"Lorelai. Jess. I'll have you know that your attempt at sabotaging me failed."

"I wasn't trying to sabotage you, Kirk." Jess reminds him. "That would involve me actually _caring_ about this. Which I don't. I'm just in it for the fifty bucks."

"Whatever you say, Jess. Just know that by the end of this _I'm_ going to be the one with the giant trophy. Again." Kirk dances off before either of them can say a come back.

"I officially declare serious Kirk more annoying than non-serious Kirk." Jess says.

"I agree. Hey, look, the cheer squad finally made it!" Lorelai yells in his ear. Loudly. "Sorry." She says at a lower level after his wince. With an eye roll they make their way over to Dean, Rory, and Oliver. Jess sends Oliver a small nod in greeting, which he returns.

"You sure are hyper." Dean points out.

"I had coffee." Lorelai says as if that's an unusual occurrence.

Dean chuckles. "I can tell. Nice outfit there, Jess."

"Thanks." He says dryly.

"So, have we missed anything yet?" Rory asks. "I was telling Oliver about all the usual hijinks and chaos that goes on."

"Nothing so far, but it should be any minute before-" Lorelai gets cut off by Andrew a few yards away.

"You went out with Liam Neeson?!"

"And there it is. You can set a clock to it."

"Why would you _ever_ tell me you went out with Liam Neeson?! Why would you do that?!"

"Because I was trying to be honest!" His date yells back.

"I don't believe that A, you went out with Liam Neeson, and B, that you choose to tell me now at this moment that you went out with Liam Neeson!" Andrew storms off, his date chasing after him and calling out his name.

Lorelai turns to the others with a grin. "See? Fun. Just wait until Taylor gets drunk and starts talking about how he wanted to be a magician."

Jess shakes his head as Lorelai and Rory tell Dean about what's more to come.

"I bet you're sure glad you're wasting a saturday sitting in a gym while watching people dance for hours on end." He says to Oliver.

"At least I'm not the one dressed as Ward Cleaver." Oliver smirks.

"Oh, snap. I've been zinged." His stomach growls at the smell of fries. "Fry me?" Oliver hides the fast food bag behind him. "Come on, I've been going for six hours and the only food here is Mrs. Kim's eggless egg salad sandwiches. I need the calories."

"Fine…" He digs in the bag and pulls out a few fries, holding them out. Jess stretches out and grabs them with his mouth so he keeps his hands on Lorelai. He would never hear the end of it if he got them eliminated at only hour six because he reached out for some fries.

"Aw, man, now I want fries! Rory-" Lorelai turns to Rory with a hopeful smile.

She shakes her head. "Don't look at me, why don't you ask your 'favorite' to get some for you?"

"Betrayed by my own offspring, I always knew this day would come." Jess watches as Rory rolls her eyes and heads off to the bleachers with Dean and Oliver. "So," Lorelai begins once the others are out of earshot. "I never had a boy feed me french fries."

"Shut up."

For once she listens, not saying another word. A moment later Kirk goes by again, this time flipping his date. Lorelai scoffs and berates him for it, but then the second he's gone begs Jess to let her flip him.

"Think again. There's no way in hell I'm letting you flip me."

"Fine…" She groans. "How about you flip me?"

"No!"

"Ugh, you're such a buzzkill."

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Jess lies flat on the floor as he tries to catch his breath. Lorelai never said anything about _running._ He never in a million years would have agreed to this if he knew there was going to be running involved. He rests his arm across his eyes, and what the-? His hat is missing… Damn, he'd actually started to like that hat. It must have blew off when they were doing the sprint from hell.

"You planning on getting up at any point during this break?" Oliver hovers over him, not sounding the least bit concerned.

Jess opens his eyes, squinting from the bright lights. "I've been dancing… for fourteen hours straight, _then_ had to run in circles around the gym. I don't even run around the gym for my _actual_ gym class. So to answer your original question… no, I am not planning on getting up from this floor."

"Not even for the tacos I saved for you?"

Jess groans, holding his arm out for a hand up.

"Alright, drama queen, up you get." Oliver chuckles as he helps him up, letting Jess lean on him as he limps over to the bleachers. When they get there, Jess collapses in his seat with a sigh of relief.

"Never again. Not even if she pays me a million bucks."

"I know." Oliver humors him as he pulls out Jess' dinner.

"My feet feel like they're going to fall off any minute now."

"I'm sure they do. Here's your food and I figured you'd want some water too."

Jess cracks up the water bottle and takes a couple gulps, not realizing how thirsty he had gotten. He digs into his taco next, eating half of it in one go. He doesn't even care that it's cold, he's been wanting one for two hours now since he saw the three on the bleachers eating them.

"Thanks." He says as an afterthought, whipping his face with a napkin.

"No problem. I thought you'd enjoy that better than the food Mrs. Kim made."

"Gee, I don't know, I heard she added food dye this year to make the fake eggs look more egg-like."

"Oh, in that case I'll just take this back." Jess holds the bag just out of reach with a laugh as Oliver practically climbs over him trying to get it. They both freeze when they realize how close they've become, causing Oliver to make a quick retreat. "Sorry."

Jess' heart is pounding in his chest, only this time it's not from all the running. "No, it's- it's fine." He finishes off the rest of his taco to give him an excuse to not talk. "Thanks again for the food. It looks like this thing is about to start again, so I should…"

"Yeah, of course. I'm gonna go say hi to Lane and tell Dean and Rory it's starting again."

Oliver makes a beeline for the exit before Jess even has the chance to say anything. Jess leans back against the bench behind him with a frustrated groan and shuts his eyes. The sound of heels click closer until someone sits next to him.

"Do you wanna-" Lorelai starts to ask.

"No."

"Are you sur-"

"Yup. Taco?" He holds up the bag.

She doesn't take the bag. "Is this your way of making me shut up?"

He opens his eyes and turns to her. "Is it working?"

"For now, yes. I'm starving." She snatches the bag from him. "And hey, look at the bright side, we're in the top forty, baby!" Jess glares at her. "Not helping?"

"Not particularly, no." He snarks back.

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By the time five in the morning rolls around, any type of dignity Jess had coming into this thing with flew out the window many, many hours ago. His legs feel like jello, and him and Lorelai have resorted to wrapping an arm around each other so they can use the other to stay standing. Hell, he hasn't been able to open his eyes for the past forty minutes. Rory passed out on the bleachers back around two in the morning and Dean followed suit at about four. Even Oliver's nodded off a few times.

"Tell me a joke." Lorelai mumbles.

"Your face." He mumbles back.

Lorelai snorts and starts to chuckle. If he didn't know any better, he'd think she was drunk. "'Your face'. You're really funny, you know that?" There's a loud snap and they both stumble to keep their footing. "Ow!"

"What? What happened?" Jess finally opens his eyes.

"Oh, no!" She bends down to grab something off the floor and holds it up. "My heel broke!"

"What?"

"My heel just broke off! Damn, these are brand new shoes, too!"

Jess thinks about that for a second. "I thought you told me they were made in nineteen forty-three?"

"Yeah, but I just bought them Tuesday. The lady at the store even said they hadn't been worn a lot."

Jess closes his eyes again, quickly losing interest. "Hate to break it to you, but not a lot in sixty years is still a lot."

"I can't keep dancing with a broken heel, I need to fix them." She gasps. "I'll use the emergency card and run over to Luke real quick, I bet he could fix them!"

Jess holds her back. "No. No way. I have no feeling in my legs. The second you let go I'm going down."

"I thought you didn't care?"

"We are in the final five and I've already invested twenty-three hours into this. I am not about to let that be for nothing."

"But-"

Jess yawns, making himself comfortable on her shoulder.

Lorelai huffs, looking around frantically. "Oliver! Oliver, get over here, now!"

Jess raises his head, blinking at her. "Wha…?"

"Why? What's going on? Is everything okay?" Oliver appears in a flash.

"Yup, everything's great. Just a minor wardrobe malfunction. Now stand here." She loops Jess' arm off of her and around Oliver, who wraps his arms around Jess to keep him up when his legs give out. "Look, I'll be back in ten minutes! Do not let him stop or lie down! Do you understand me?"

"But I-I-" Oliver stutters.

"I need you, Oliver! The team needs you!"

"Wait, what team?"

"Pick a team, it needs you. I'll be right back." She runs off, looking for Luke.

Jess keeps his head against Oliver's shoulder so he doesn't have to look him in the face. "Sorry about her, I'd stand on my own if I could, but I was serious about no feeling from the knees down. If, um, if this is too much, you could wake Dean, I'd understand-"

"No. It's, um, it's fine. I don't mind. And, hey, it's for the team, right?"

Jess relaxes against him. "Good, because I was lying just a second ago. Dean's way too tall, it'd be like trying to hold a freakin' moose."

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Jess would be lying if he said he wasn't playing up how tired he really is, but he's pretty sure he's never going to get another opportunity like this again. Milking it for all it's worth is all he has. He has both his arms looped around Oliver's neck as an excuse to stay upright, and keeps his head lying on the other's shoulder. Jess is a little shocked that Oliver hasn't moved his hands from his waist yet from when he caught him earlier, but he isn't complaining. If anything, it's the opposite of a problem.

With the past twenty-three hours catching up with him, he buries his face deeper into the crook of his neck, wishing he could just go to sleep like this.

Oliver starts to fidget. "Jess," Jess moans, not wanting to move. "Jess, stop. I can't do this."

"Lorelai will be back soon, now hold still." Jess mutters sleepily.

"No, not that. _This."_ Oliver pushes him back, the motion making Jess open his eyes.

"Wha-"

"I thought we could just be friends, but we can't." His voice echoes throughout the gym, causing some people to look their way. "I was willing to try because I like being with you, but this is just too much. It _hurts_ everytime I'm around you and I know this is all it's ever going to be. I just- I can't do this anymore. I'm sorry."

Jess watches as Oliver runs off, all the words he wants to say stuck in his throat. His mind is telling him to _move, yell,_ do _anything_ to get Oliver to stop and come back, but he just stands there speechless and frozen in place.

He snaps out of it when Taylor starts talking into his megaphone. "Hey, I don't see a yellow card. I don't see a yellow card! Excuse me, Luke's something-or-other-" Now that he's looking around, Dean and Rory are both waking up now too, obviously having just heard the tail end of what just happened.

Suddenly feeling claustrophobic, he heads for the exit, wanting to be away from everyone.

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Jess is relieved to see Oliver's car still parked across from Luke's, meaning he still has to be around town somewhere. Even though his brain is cloudy from sleep, there's only one place he can think of where Oliver might go to be alone.

Making his way to the bridge, he stops as soon as he sees a figure hunched over. Taking a deep breath, he walks over slowly, stopping a few feet away.

"Please, just leave me alone." Oliver sniffs, wiping his eyes. "I don't need your pity."

Jess stays where he is, not having thought this far ahead yet.

"Fine, if you won't leave, then I will." He scrambles up, about to head off in the other direction.

In a panic, Jess reaches out and grabs his hand. "Wait."

Oliver makes a half-hearted tug to get away, staring straight at the ground. "Jess, let go."

"If I do, are you gonna run away again?"

"That's the plan."

"Then no."

Oliver's shoulders slump with a sigh. "Jess…"

"No. I'm tired of having you run away. We're gonna to stand here until the sun comes up if we have to. Now tell me, what did you mean back there?"

Oliver scoffs, finally looking up at him with red eyes. "You're really going to make me spell it out for you? I _like_ you, Jess. I have since the beginning when I saw you in that auditorium months ago. Then I got to know you and I fell for you even harder. I tried to be just friends with you, I really, _really,_ tried, but I can't do it. I just- just _can't._ I can't…" He takes a shaky breath. "Please let go now."

Jess shakes his head. "Lorelai and Dean are gonna be so smug…" He says under his breath.

"What are you-" Jess uses their linked hands to pull him forward, cutting him off with a deep kiss. He's still standing there in shock, so Jess loops his hands behind his neck again, urging him on. At that he returns the kiss, resting his hands on the small of his back. They pull back after a minute to catch their breath. "Wow, just… wow." Oliver whispers.

Jess smirks, not pulling away. "Thanks for the compliment." He whispers back.

"But I thought you were-"

Jess cuts him off again, this time with a smaller kiss. "Think again. If I were straight I wouldn't keep doing this." He makes his point with another kiss.

Jess leans forward as Oliver pulls back reluctantly. "I just want to make sure I'm not pressuring you into this-"

Jess groans. "Oliver, would you just shut up already?" He pulls them together again, this time with more force to keep Oliver from talking anymore.

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It's dawn when Lorelai limps into Luke's, heels in her hands since she won't be needing _them_ anymore, as Luke himself sets up the diner for the morning. "Where is he? Where is that little punk, because I have a bone to pick with him." Luke freezes, shushing her. "What? Why are you shushing me?"

"Would you keep your voice down?" He hisses.

"Why-" He shushes her again, glaring. "Why are we being quiet?" She whispers this time.

"Come up and I'll show you. _Quietly."_ He holds the curtain to the side, sweeping a hand upstairs.

With a huff, she sets her shoes on the counter and slowly makes her way up the stairs. "Okay, I made it all the way up here, which was extremely painful I might add. What do you wanna show me?"

Luke opens the door to his apartment as carefully as he can, gesturing with his head at something. "Wha- oh. Damn, why did you have to show me this? Now I can't possibly stay mad at him for leaving the dance floor." She takes in the scene in front of her. Jess and Oliver are both dead to the world as they're cuddled together on Jess' twin bed. Jess sighs in content as he nuzzles further on Oliver's chest.

They must have been exhausted because they're both still in the same clothes from the dance, and didn't even manage to get under the covers.

Luke ushers her out, closing the door softly behind him. "How long have they been like that?"

Luke shrugs as they tiptoe downstairs. "I just got back and found them like that a few minutes ago. Do you think-"

Lorelai picks up her shoes. "He'll tell you. He told you first last time remember?"

Luke relaxes. "Yeah, he did, didn't he. And he looked happy, right?"

"Beyond happy." She assures him. "Now I'm gonna go and pass out on the nearest horizontal surface at my place for the next twenty-four hours. Bye, Luke."

"Please have Rory help you to a bed. I don't wanna come check on you and find you unconscious on a coffee table later." Luke says, back to his usual grumpy self.

"Dirty."

"Go home, crazy lady."

Lorelai fakes a sigh. "Fine… I can see when I'm not wanted." She makes her way to the door, feet killing her.

"Thanks." Luke says gruffly.

She stops and turns around. "For what?"

"You know what. Talking me down from worrying about Jess again."

"Anytime." She smiles before heading out.


End file.
